In 2024, the young population shrank to the size of Kavaja, 29 thousand fewer young people

2025-06-17 07:44:00, Sociale CNA

In 2024, the young population shrank to the size of Kavaja, 29 thousand fewer

In just one year from 2023 to 2024, the young population aged 0-29 shrank by 29,300 inhabitants or 4 percent, almost three times the total population. Data shows that the number of young people shrank in one year by the size of the municipality of Kavaja.

Official INSTAT data show a strong contraction trend in every age group from 0 to 29 years old.

The number of infants (0-4 years old) from 2023 to 2024 fell by 2.5%, reflecting low fertility rates, for years below 1.5 children per woman.

In the 20-29 age group, the population shrank by around 12,800 people (almost half of the total decline). This is the age group most likely to emigrate for studies, seasonal work or permanent contracts in the EU.

According to the "Youth Study 2024", 1 in 3 young people express a desire to leave primarily for higher wages and living standards; 1 in 5 intend not to return.

The European labor market, mobility programs ("Erasmus+", seasonal work visas in the EU, UK-Albania agreements) act as factors that are further encouraging the departure of young people.

Meanwhile, the transition from one age group to another makes the decline significantly deeper among 25-29-year-olds.

The 2018 graduates are now employed everywhere in the European market, as many of them choose to leave, creating a large gap in the local labor market. The generation born in 1995-2000 (relatively large) is leaving the 20-24 age segment, while the new entrants 0-4 years old are much fewer.

The sharp decline in the youth population is putting schools in difficulty as lower enrollments are forcing schools to close in rural areas, while the labor market is facing a shortage of workers in all sectors from IT to tourism to services. This shortage is causing pressure to increase wages and supply foreign workers.

Public finances are expected to face higher expenses for pension schemes, at a time when the number of contributors will decline.

The shrinking age group 0-29 is not just a statistic, but warns of profound transformations in the education market, the economy and the Albanian social structure. The labor market in Albania still offers lower salaries than neighboring countries, while the lack of qualified staff (teachers, nurses, engineers) creates a “brain-drain” spiral.

Demographers warn that if institutions do not act today, making population and its growth a priority, the birth-emigration phenomena will impose much more costly changes.

Meanwhile, Albania risks facing a permanent gap, where the lack of human capital will limit economic growth and the ability to successfully integrate into the European single market./ Monitor Magazine